This May, the 11th International Archaeological Film Festival AGON took place in Athens with the theme 'Ecumenical Community'. 'The 1001 Faces of Palmyra' appeared on the screen on 13 May at the Greek Film Archive, and three days later, it was announced as the winner of the Archaeological Film Award. The award ceremony took place in the Olympia Municipal Music Theatre Maria Callas in the Greek capital.

The film is about the oasis city of Palmyra and the city's long urban history – all the way up to the destructions by ISIS in 2015 and 2016 during the Syrian civil war. The research conducted within the Palmyra Portrait Project plays a pivotal role for the narrative of the film, and as the project director, Professor Rubina Raja, and the project team members visit collections and museums with Palmyrene funerary sculpture, a story about the ancient city emerges – a story told through the faces of the inhabitants of the ancient city.

Funded by the Carlsberg Foundation, the Palmyra Portrait Project has researched and collected data about the funerary portraits since 2012. The documentary, which premiered in April 2021, is directed by Meyar AL-Roumi and produced by Un film á la patte and ARTE France.

Links

Read more about the documentary ‘The 1001 Faces of Palmyra’ here and here.

Find more information about the Palmyra Portrait Project here.

And if you want to know more about the International Archaeological Film Festival AGON, take a look here.